Fuzzies In My Heart
by mizfab
Summary: Bella abandoned her mission to rescue Edward from Italy and decided to stay home with Jacob instead. So what happens now? Can their newly found love survive the turmoils of imprinting, Victoria and a certain Cullen? In the end, whom will Bella choose?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm back. I am SO sorry I couldn't continue my previous story, Oasis. I've had ALL of the story written out on my laptop but then my sister reformat it and EVERYTHING was lost :(**

**So to make it up to you guys, I've written a new story. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as If Only :)**

As Alice sped down the road, Bella felt her stomach twisted into a million of tiny knots. Her eyes focused on the long unwinding road in front of them but her brain replayed her leaving Jacob in an endless loop. Jacob's broken face as she fled from his arms was still fresh in her mind's eyes.

"_He left you, Bella. He didn't want you!" _

"Are you okay, Bella?" Alice's soft voice penetrated her tangled thoughts. Her topaz eyes reflected concern when Bella turned her head towards her normally soothing voice but now, it only added to Bella's distress. She shifted her gaze uneasily.

"I—I don't know," she replied honestly. Was she really able to do this? Save the man who had left her broken in pieces? Leave the boy who had taken those pieces and patiently attached them together with his love and gentle nature?

Would she be able to see his smiling face again?

Unconsciously, Bella let out a miserable groan which drew Alice's attention. Bella felt the car slow down before she heard Alice speaking.

"Bella, do you—regret this?" she asked hesitantly. Bella's face shot up from her palms to stare at Alice in shock. "Why would you say—"

"I know you too well, Bella. Just say it and I'll turn this car around," she spoke gently. Bella's mouth bobbed open but no sound was emitted. Seeing Bella was too surprised to even say a word, Alice continued to talk.

"I understand how you feel, honey. You were—depressed since we left but that—dog pulled you right back up and I can't blame you from being torn by these two." Alice finished her little speech with a tiny smile flashed to her friend.

Bella's eyes watered by this simple gesture.

"But what are you going to do, Alice? You can't just save him on your own," she voiced her concerns. Instead of replying, Alice spun the steering wheel around and the tires screeched against the wet road.

"I have a big family, Bella," she whispered sadly, "and they're not too happy with Edward's stupid decision too."

As Alice sped down the road towards her house, the mighty knots in Bella's stomach unraveled into tiny fluttering butterflies.

She was heading back home.

* * *

"Please take care of yourself," was the last thing Alice said to her before she drove away with her Mercedes. Bella silently waved to the disappearing silhouette of the black car. When it was out of sight, she sighed to herself and made her way inside the house ready to just throw herself on her bed and let today's event pass by. Unfortunately, someone got in the middle of her plans; Charlie.

As soon as Bella stepped inside the house, Charlie marched from the kitchen red-faced. Bella cursed her luck inwardly when he waved a scrunched up yellow paper.

"Would you care to explain this, young lady?"

Bella's brain strained for any kind of excuse that was acceptable and wouldn't give her much trouble but the one that escaped her mouth was a different matter.

"Dad, I—uh, Alice came by and—wanted to take me camping!" she stuttered while mentally grimacing at the most horrible explanation she had come up with. Charlie eyed her skeptically with his head cocked to the side.

"Camping? Alice wanted to take you camping?" Charlie repeated in disbelief. Bella could only nod slowly praying that her dad would be able to accept the little white lie. She heard Charlie snorted once.

"I know the Cullens love the outdoors but taking you along with them? That's like putting your foot in a bear's trap!" he laughed. Bella couldn't believe her luck! She let out a huge breath before joining in her father's laughter.

"Yea, that's why I came back and no, I won't take that as an offense," she said. Charlie smiled slowly and gazed down at the yellow paper in his hand before throwing it away in the trash can.

"Well, Bells, sorry for freaking out on you," he apologized meekly. "S'kay Dad," Bella replied when she brushed pass him and headed for the stairs. Thank god my father is an awkward and quite man, Bella thought. She nearly ran up the stairs in a rush to her room.

"Oh, Bells, wait," Charlie called. Bella stopped in her tracks and spun around, curious. "What is it, Dad?"

Charlie cleared his throat, "When I came home just now I saw Jacob on our porch looking a bit gloomy."

Bella's heart clenched at the thought that she had caused him to be like that.

"Maybe you ought to call that boy," he continued, "to make sure he didn't drown in his pool of sorrow."

Her nose scrunched after hearing what Charlie had just said. "Dad, please, that was so cheesy," Bella muttered before ascending up the stairs once more. Before she closed her door, Charlie hollered from below, "Call him, Bella!"

"I will!" she hollered back and collapsed on her bed exhausted. Bella pulled out the cell phone that was given to her as a birthday gift from Phil and pressed 1. Jacob had been on her speed dial ever since she figured out how to use it.

Bella pressed the phone against her ear and tapped her finger on the bed impatiently as she listened to the dial tone. After the eighth dial—she didn't mean to count, really—a rough voice answered.

"Unnh?" or at least excrete some kind of a noise.

"Jake?"

"Uh no, this is Jared." Bella's heart dropped the same time her annoyance rose.

"Well, get him for me then." She never meant to sound so pushy but she urgently needed Jake right now.

Bella listened to the background noises while waiting for Jake; Jared shouting for Jake, Jake shouting back, scuffling noises, some banging and Jared's 'ouch!'

"Hello?" His voice answered, full with annoyance. Bella swallowed audibly.

"Hey, it's me." She waited for the long pause before he replied.

"Wow, that didn't take long. Did the leech rent a super-sonic jet or something?"

Bella frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Wait, why are you even calling me? Go and save the leech that ditched you, Bella," he hissed bitterly. Bella's mouth quivered at his harsh tone but she kept her voice steady.

"Jacob, you idiot, I didn't go to the damn Italy!" she whispered, afraid Charlie was lurking somewhere near her room and was listening to her conversation. Bella's ears caught Jake's sharp intake of breath.

"What? Bells, but I thought you—"he paused, not quite knowing the right word to describe it. Fortunately, Bella understood him.

"Yeah, I thought that too," she muttered sadly.

"I—don't know what to say. Should I be happy for you? Or sorry? I mean, inside I'm already doing my 'HOYEAH' dance but I'm trying to be a good friend here."

Despite the circumstances, Bella laughed at him and felt all the tension between them disappeared. Soon, Jake was joining her too.

"Listen, Jake, can I come over tomorrow?" Bella asked when the laughter had died down.

"Bells, you know you don't have to ask. Just come in tomorrow, clothes or no clothes."

"Jake, you perv!" Even though they were just talking over the phone, she could feel her face heating up. Jacob's booming laughter forced Bella to pull the phone away from her ear.

"Just joking, Bella. Well, see you tomorrow then," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Okay. Goodnight, Jake."

"'night, my little snoogums," he joked before hanging up. A smile tugged at the corners of Bella's lips and she held the phone close to her heart.

That night, as Bella lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, she knew that she had made the right decision.

* * *

Bella woke up the next morning feeling rejuvenated yet a little nervous at the thought of Jacob. _Why am I so freaked out about? _She thought to herself, _he's just the same Jake._

_Yeah, the same Jake you almost kissed!_

Eager to ignore the nagging voice in her head, Bella threw on her night robe before rushing downstairs. As she reached the last step, she noticed that the house was empty. Scanning the kitchen, her eyes caught sight of a yellow post-it note on the refrigerator. As Bella was on her way, a little smile played on her lips when she saw the burned skillet thrown in the sink. She skimmed through the note that Charlie had left her while figuring out how to remove the black substance that was stuck on her skillet.

"My favorite skillet too," Bella muttered to herself.

_Bella, _

_I had to go to work early; there was a robbery case near Port Angeles. I'll be home late tonight, no need to prepare me dinner. And no boys in the house! Well, Jacob can. _

_Dad._

_p/s: sorry about the frying pan. Tried to make pancakes._

Bella felt her face heating up at Charlie's words.

"Seriously, no boys in the house yet he lets Jake?" she mumbled to herself as she crumpled the yellow paper and threw it in the dustbin, "why does he like Jake so much?"

"Because I'm just too cute to resist, honey."

Bella screamed at the sudden husky voice that interrupted her personal rants. She spun around quickly, only to get her foot tangled up with the floor mat but Jacob caught her before she could fall flat on her butt.

With a hand clutched to her chest, Bella stared at Jacob scandalized.

"I swear, somewhere inside Jacob Black is a psychopath wanting to kill me!" she gasped out. Jacob guffawed while setting Bella back on her feet.

"Sorry Bells, you just look too darn cute blushing over a note," he poked fun, amused to see her blush crept up again.

"Shut up," Bella grumbled. She turned back to whatever she was doing but immediately stopped. Bella turned around, careful to avoid the mat this time and faced Jacob with wide eyes, only to find him sitting at the counter table munching on an apple.

"Wait!" she voiced, "what are you doing here? _How _did you get in here?"

Jacob swallowed the huge chunk of apple he bit before answering. "Why do you sound so surprised? Charlie always leaves the keys underneath the flower pot," he retorted, "plus, Sam cancelled my patrol today so I decided to give you a visit."

"Oh," Bella replied, pausing for a moment, "but that doesn't mean you can just barrel in and scare me to death."

Jacob stood up, chuckling while striding towards where Bella stood near the sink. When he leaned towards her to dispose the apple seed, Bella's senses were invaded by Jacob's radiating warmth that seeped from him and his earthly scent mixed with a masculine musk. Her breath immediately caught on her throat and Bella fought to control herself.

Jacob seemed to realize her reaction as he gently stroked Bella's cold cheek with a blazing hand and tentatively placed his other hand on her waist.

"You said we needed to talk?" Jacob whispered huskily. Bella's eyes fluttered for a moment when she felt his hot breath fanning on her face.

"Um, I just needed to say that," Bella stuttered while Jacob nuzzled her neck, "um, nothing."

Jacob laughed from her neck and pulled away at arm's length. "You wanted to say nothing to me?" he asked, clearly amused. Bella groaned and pushed Jacob away.

"I can't think clearly when you're so close!" she voiced which received raised eyebrows from Jacob. Bella took a deep breath to compose herself before continuing.

"I'm sorry for suddenly leaving yesterday," she explained but averted her eyes from Jacob's penetrating orbs, "I wasn't—I didn't know what I was thinking". Then there was the long awkward pause that made Bella cringed inwardly.

In a blink of an eye, Jacob had taken Bella into his arms once again and successfully squeezed the air of out her lungs. But before she could protest, Jacob released her to cover her forehead with his. When Bella saw the love and tenderness reflected from his eyes, her stomach did somersaults, as if she was—no, Bella refused to admit it.

"Bells, honey, it's not just me but everyone is glad you're home," Jacob breathed, "I just want you to be happy again."

Tears sprang to her eyes at Jacob's statement. He loves her so much and had done everything in his power to satisfy her. At that crucial moment, Bella's heart made its final decision.

"Jake, _you _make me happy," the words tumbled out of her mouth spontaneously. Bella took his wide eyes as a sign of shock and disbelief. She wanted to prove to Jacob that this was for real and before she knew it, Bella had molded her lips with his. Caught off guard, Jacob stood still for a fraction of a time but he recovered quickly and responded eagerly.

The moment her lips touched his, Bella felt a wave of warmth spreading from her mouth to the pit of her stomach which made her toes curl on the kitchen floor. But when Jacob's tongue traced her lips, Bella's knees buckled from both surprise and anticipation. She had never been kissed this way before and a strange yet pleasant feeling crept up within her.

Jacob broke their kiss to grin joyously down at her. "Wow, Bells."

Bella laughed despite the redness evidence on the apples of her cheeks and leaned her head on his chest. For the first time since Jacob had been here, Bella realized that his usually-bare chest was now covered by a black shirt, much to her disappointment.

"Listen, Bells," Jacob's voice broke the comfortable silence. Bella leaned back to gaze up his eyes. "I have a pack meeting in half-an hour. Do you wanna come with?" he continued.

Bella raised an eyebrow while gesturing to her body, "Jake, if you haven't realized by my smell yet, I need a shower."

Jacob's laughter thundered throughout the empty house before crushing Bella tight to his chest.

"Aww, come on, Bella. You know I don't care what you smell like; dead fish or not," he teased. Bella let out a mock gasp and pulled away from Jacob, scandalized.

"At least I don't have dog breath all the time," she threw back, winking at a gaping Jacob. She quickly ran up the stairs towards the bathroom. She giggled when she heard Jacob's loud protest, "I do not have dog breath!"

*****

Midway through shower, Bella was startled out of her reverie when a knock sounded through the door.

"Bella, how long are you gonna be in there?," Jacob's thunderous voice boomed, "we need to get moving soon!"

Bella rolled her eyes and twisted the shower knob, draining away the remaining water in the tub.

"In a minute, you impatient man," she huffed while wrapping a bathrobe around her drenched body.

Bella wretched the door open to step out on the hallway but instead she found herself colliding with a very warm wall. She craned her neck upwards to see Jake smiling slyly down at her.

"You know what, Bells, scratch that. Sam won't mind me coming late," Jacob stated deviously. Bella tried but failed hiding her smile. She half-heartedly wriggled out of Jake's embrace and made a bee-line towards her bedroom.

"Nu'uh Jake. You got me out of the shower quick so we're going to your wolfie meeting quick too," Bella echoed before shutting her bedroom door firmly behind her.

On the other side of the hard piece of wood, Bella could've sworn she heard Jacob whining like the pup that he was. Bella bursts into a fit of giggles and collapsed on her bed.

For the first time in months, she _truly _felt happy.


	2. Chapter 2: A Step Forward

Jacob and Bella went off to Sam's in the Rabbit. They were strangely silent throughout the journey, lost in each other's minds. Well, Bella was and Jacob just kept silent, afraid that something might've gone wrong.

"Um, Bells, are you okay?" he asked, shooting her a sideway glance. Bella lifted her chin from its resting place on her palm.

"Hmm? Oh sorry, I was just thinking," she answered.

"Oh? About what?"

Unexpectedly, Bella scooted near him to lean her head on Jake's shoulder gingerly. Jacob was surprised but he relished the feeling of Bella being close to him nonetheless. His heartbeat sped up though he kept a calm demeanor about the sudden rush of hormones.

"I was just pondering about us," Bella paused for a moment,"and what would've happened."

Jacob's brows furrowed at her answer. Before he had a chance to inquire on Bella's sudden train of thought, the sound of tires against the gravel brought him back to reality. They had arrived at Sam's.

Bella got out of the car carefully as Sam's driveway was very uneven. She remembered vaguely a few weeks ago when she fell on Embry after getting her foot stuck on the driveway's brick. Bella couldn't fathom how Emily could survive living in this house but then again, she's the only one who could trip over the air between her own legs.

The moment Bella and Jacob walked inside the small house, Emily immediately grabbed Bella by the hand and ushered her to the kitchen under Jacob's amused stare. He gazed at her retreating form longingly. Jacob was mesmerized by the gentle swaying of her chestnut hair and her clumsy-yet-cute steps as she let Emily drag her to the kitchen.

"Jake, man!"

Jacob's head snapped to the sound of Embry calling him, wearing a sly expression with a raised eyebrow. Jacob strode across the room towards his mischievously grinning friend while bidding goodbye to Bella on the way.

"Not a word!" Jacob warned before Embry could utter a single mock.

"I didn't say anything," he cackled, much to Jacob's chagrin. The two friends left the house, trailing behind Sam into the forest.

Even though her hands were busy flipping the twelfth pancake, Bella's eyes were bestowed upon Jacob as he exited through the back door. A smile formed on her lips when she witnessed Jacob's deep annoyance at Embry.

_He's always cute when he's angry. _

"Really?" Emily questioned playfully. Bella's face turned beet red after realizing that she had stated her thoughts out loud. She went back to her pancakes wishing a hole would just appear and swallow her whole.

Emily giggled amusingly at Bella.

"It's okay, Bella. He loves you too, you know," Emily stated softly, her gaze concentrated on the potatoes she was peeling. Bella stood still for a moment, shocked at what she had just heard.

"Too?" she asked nervously, taking a quick peek at Emily. As if sensing her stare, Emily raised her head and smiled widely at her.

"You're as clear as a glass, hun."

Bella placed the tower of pancakes on the dining table between the plate of bacon and omelettes. "But I don't know what to do Emily," she admitted truthfully. Emily dropped whatever she was working on to softly pat Bella on her back.

"Just let your feelings lead you," she said, "but—don't break his heart Bella, please. He's such a sweet boy."

Bella frowned a little. Her mouth bobbed open but her protests were cut off by a tickling vibration on her right pocket. Bella whipped out her cell phone. _Alice. _

"Excuse me," she muttered quickly to Emily before rushing to the back porch. Bella flipped her phone open to answer Alice's call.

"Alice?"

"Bella, are you okay?" her bell-like voice gushed.

"I'm fine, Alice. Why? What's wrong? Did something happened to—" Bella couldn't quite say it. She braced herself on the ledge for whatever news Alice was about to tell her.

"No, no, Bella, Edward is fine. I was just checking up on you," Alice rushed over her words. Bella's suspicions began to arise.

"Why are you check—"

"Oh well, thanks for your time honey. Bye!"

And just like that, Alice hung up on her. Bella was left gaping at the dial tone and more confused than ever. Her eyes then wandered to the edge of the forest where she spotted the pack inching out with all their bare-chested glory. Bella's frown deepened when she realized the harden faces they had put on, including Jacob. Her mind instantly replayed the event where Jacob was "breaking" up with her not too long ago, wearing the same expression. The memory made her hands unconsciously tightened their grip on the ledge.

Jacob hurriedly masked his game face with his usual warm smile when he saw Bella standing at the porch. The rest of the pack followed him suit. Bella felt her uneasiness rose to a whole new level.

"Hey, Bells, what's cooking?" Jacob greeted followed by a kiss on the forehead.

"What happened?" Bella shot straight away. She hated beating around the bush.

"What makes you think anything happened?" he retorted. Bella crossed her arm in front of her chest and glared at the man lying right to her face.

"You have that stupid I-got-a-huge-secret face. I know you too well, Jacob Black."

Jacob sighed tiredly and looked briefly at the pack who was already gathering around the dining table. He grabbed Bella's arms with his blazing hands and stared directly into her eyes.

"Not now, okay," he whispered.

"But—"

"I'll explain later, honey, I promise."

Bella could only nod in agreement because she knew it was no use arguing with him. Before she could brood over Jake's secretive behavior, he softly placed his lips on hers and all Bella's worries flew out of the window. She laced her fingers on the nape of his neck to pull him closer. The strange, tingling sensation she felt during their first kiss crept up within her again. Bella savored Jacob's chocolatey taste that seems to serve as ambrosia to her.

"Hey you two, quit groping around and come eat breakfast!" Sam hollered from inside. Bella pulled away blushing evidently but Jacob merely laughed while leading them where everyone was gathering.

"'Sup Bella," greeted Jared with a mouthful of pancakes. Bella wrinkled her nose in disgust as bits of the pancakes flew from his mouth and landed on the table.

"Jared, do not talk with your mouth full!" scolded Emily from across the table. Bella took a seat at the corner of the table beside Jacob who was currently busy placing every food available on his plate.

"Here, Bella, take whatever you can before these cavemen finish everything," Emily handed Bella an empty plate. She smiled back at the older woman before taking an omelette.

Bella eyed the crowded table munching away in delight as she nibbled on her own breakfast. It still amazes her how close the pack resembles the Cullens yet totally differs from them. Bella could never enjoy a company while satisfying her hunger nor could she laugh at their stupid and silly antics. With the Cullens, Bella felt like a new member trying hard to be accepted but she always felt like a part of the family whenever she's around Jacob and the pack. They were like a big family she never had.

"Okay there, Bells?" Jake's voice broke through her hazy mind. Bella beamed at him in reply which drew Jacob's own grin.

"Aww, look at the two love birds!" Embry cooed from the other side of the table with Quil making kissing sounds. Paul and Jared soon joined in by hooting cat-calls.

Jacob's eyes narrowed to slits. He grabbed the half-eaten pancake on his plate and flung it in the direction of Embry and it flopped directly on his unsuspecting face. The whole house shook with roars of laughter, even Emily who was trying hard to hide her giggles.

Bella laughed wholeheartedly at the sight of syrup and butter dribbling down Embry's face. Yes, this was definitely her second family.

* * *

"See you later, Emily!" Bella bid farewell from inside the Rabbit. Emily waved gently as Jacob pulled out of the driveway.

"So, where are we heading to?" Jacob questioned. Bella pondered for a minute.

"How about the beach?" she suggested, "It's been long since we've been there."

"Aye, aye, cap'en!" Jacob shouted in a horrible pirate accent which brought Bella to cackles.

Soon, Jacob parked the car at the usual place, under the pine tree near the cliff. Bella got out of the car and filled her lungs with the sweet, salty air that sort of reminded her of Jacob. The sun instantly warmed her face making her eyes fluttered shut at the serenity it brought her.

Bella's eyes flew open when she felt Jacob palmed her cheek and met with his brown orbs. She pulled away from him blushing and grabbed his hand in hers instead.

"Come on," she muttered, tugging Jacob along with her towards their log. Jacob chuckled to himself and let her drag him across the sand.

Once they were seated on the drift wood, Bella straddled it to face Jacob.

"Alright, spill," she demanded with the most serious tone she could muster. Jacob mirrored her sitting position and Bella noted that that his game-face was on again.

"Not until you tell me why you were so silent in the car this morning," he insisted back.

"Fine," Bella huffed; ignoring the triumph grin Jacob was sporting, "I was—wondering what would happen if Alice never sent me back, if I did go to Italy."

Jacob could practically hear his own heart shattering from the words that escaped Bella's mouth. But he needed to know more and the curiosity got the best of him. Jacob held Bella's hand in his firmly.

"Tell me what I did wrong, Bella, and I swear I will make it up to you!" he pleaded but couldn't care less that his—as Quil put it—manhood was vanishing bit by bit. Damn it, Jacob cursed silently, he would not lose her after getting to kiss her without getting his adam's apple torn out.

Bella's brows furrowed. "What? No, Jake, I was just wondering," she stated clearly. This time, it was Jacob's turn to scowl in confusion.

"If I did go and save Ed—_him, _then I would never get the chance to kiss you and be with you," Bella continued with a dreamy tone.

"Are you—regretting it?" Jacob asked hesitantly. Bella emitted a breathy laugh and proceeded to snake her arms around his chest.

"No, you big goof. I'm happy here," Bella answered sincerely. Now, she thought, everything with Jake felt natural including being enveloped by his strong yet gentle arms.

Jacob let out a pent up breath upon hearing what Bella had just admitted. Just as he was about to kiss those intoxicating lips, Bella pulled away from his grasp with her arms crossed on her chest.

"Now you tell me what happened with the pack," Bella demanded. Jacob ran a hand through his messy locks.

"It's nothing to worry about, Bells, really. Sam just caught a trail of the red-headed leech," he spoke casually. Bella gawked at Jacob.

"Victoria is—coming to kill me and you're telling me this like it's some kind of a _weather forecast!_" she shrieked, at the verge of hyperventilation. Jacob hastily gathered the panicked girl into his arms, whispering sweet nothings while stroking her hair.

"Don't be scared, honey. I'm here for you remember?" Jacob reassured, "I won't let that leech lay a single dead finger on you."

Bella's grip tightened around Jacob's chest.

"It's not about me, Jake. I don't want _you _to get hurt because of me!" Bella's voice was muffled by Jacob's shirt.

Jacob retreated away slightly to lock gazes with Bella's distressed eyes.

"I won't. Everything will be okay, trust me," he spoke firmly. Bella nodded and returned to the warmth of his embrace. Bella knew that war will break out between the supernatural families and there would be bloodshed but for now, she trusted Jacob's words.

"I have a question though," Jacob broke the silence. Bella lifted her head from his shoulder to give him the permission to continue.

"Am I your boyfriend now?"

_Is he?_

_Yes._

To answer that question simply, Bella met her lips with his in the sweetest kiss that drew their breaths away.

"I take that as a 'hell yeah'," Jacob breathed, grinning from ear to ear. Bella laughed again before finally getting up to relieve her aching bottom.

"Come on, let's head home before some of the overprotective parents sue us for inappropriate behavior in public," she teased. Well, partly.

Jacob quickly shot to his feet. Bella shrieked when he smacked her bottom playfully.

"You mean like that? Or should I try groping next time?"

People at the beach gazed curiously at a petite girl chasing after a huge boy.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3: Acceptance

**FIMH Chapter 3**

_Bella was lost in the heat of Jacob's embrace as they lay side by side on the sand by the beach. Jacob's deep brown eyes told her what his lips couldn't utter; a promise to cherish her for as long as her heart beats, a vow to keep her from harm even if it costs him his own life but the most crucial of all, a swear to never break his promises. _

_Bella felt her heart swell at the love for this man who had done nothing but made her happy. She closed the remaining space between them and shivered excitedly when their lips met. She had grown accustomed to his touches yet he never fails to make her skin crawl with goosebumps._

_Suddenly, Bella's lips weren't touching Jake's anymore. Instead, he was replaced with a cold, hard wall. _No, _she thought,_ this is—

"_How could you Bella?"_

_Bella's head whipped to her left where she saw an anguished Jacob staring at them._

Wait, them?

_Bella turned her head once more and wished she never did. There Edward was, staring down at her lovingly with all his Greek-god glory. She tried to push him away to soothe Jake but she was trapped in Edward's vice grip._

"_No, Jake, it's not what it looks like!" Bella yelled frantically at his retreating form. _

"_How could you? I gave you everything and this is what you do to me?!" Jacob whispered harshly. "No, Jake!" Bella shouted as loud as her lungs could muster when he started running away from her._

_She kicked and screamed at Edward but it only made his hold on her stronger._

"_Edward you bastard, let me go!" she spat. Edward didn't flinch a bit. "But you love __me __Isabella," he grinned manically. _

"_Jake!" Bella cried hoarsely at his disappearing silhouette._

"_Bella!"_

Her eyes flew open and she shot up from her bed, gasping from the nightmare. Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw a black shadow looming over her bed. Her mouth snapped open, ready to scream for Charlie but the figure hastily clamped a scorching hand over her mouth.

_Wait, scorching?_

Bella swatted the hand away and squinted up at the figure. "Jake?" she whispered. He then came to rest at the corner of her bed. The full moon illuminated his face so Bella could finally see him clearly.

"What are you doing here?" she inquired again.

"Sorry Bells. I was patrolling around your house when I heard you screaming for me so I wanted to make sure you were okay," Jake explained with lowered voice.

"Oh," she uttered, the sudden flash of the nightmares paralyzing her.

"Do you—want me to leave?" he questioned hesitantly. Immediately Bella hands flew to Jacob's arms to restrain him from getting off the bed.

"No!" Bella shrieked. Realizing her sudden distress, Jacob stroked Bella's face in a comforting manner.

"What's wrong honey? Is it what you dreamed?" Bella was instantly calmed by the warmth emitted from him. She kept silent at first in order to contain her fears. "Bells?"

Bella took in a shaky breath. "I dreamed that Edward was back and you were leaving me." In an instant, she found herself surrounded by Jacob's arms.

"I won't ever leave you honey," he murmured, "even if the leech's back, you can't get rid of me like that." Bella felt composed by Jacob's simple reassurance. Soon, she felt her eyelids droop from the result of his hand running up and down her back gently.

"Stay," Bella managed to mumble through her sleep-fogged brain. She felt Jacob lowered them down on her bed. Her mind screamed at the similarity of the moment but Bella couldn't care less, Jacob's warmth was too inviting. She curled into his side while he rested his hand on her back. Just as Bella succumbed to sleep, she swore Jacob's lips smacked her forehead briefly.

* * *

Bella woke up the next morning disoriented with the case of pins and needles in her limbs. She was also sweating uncomfortably from the heat. Her eyes instantly popped open as she realized that the heat was radiating from Jacob. Bella pushed herself up on her elbow to focus down at his sleeping form. She eyed the steady rise and fall of his chest, his slightly opened mouth that was emitting a soft snore but what caught Bella's attention the most was the worry lines that had disappeared from Jake's face completely thus making him appear like his exact age. Bella suddenly understood why most in-loved couple would stay up all night just to watch their partner sleep.

In love, huh. Her previous nightmare flashed before her eyes. She dreamed that Edward was back but all she wanted was Jacob. Bella's fingers unconsciously traced Jacob's full lips lightly. She suddenly had the sudden urge to replace her fingertips with her own lips. Bella slowly leaned forward to fulfill her cravings and as their lips touched, she felt the familiar sparks that shoot through her.

As she pulled away gently, Bella was shocked to see a pair of brown eyes staring up at her. Bella gasped and felt her face heating up. Jacob grinning smugly didn't do her any justice either.

"Gee, Bells, what a great way to wake up."

Bella smacked his arm before burying her crimson face in his bicep. "Not that I'm complaining because God knows how long I've dreamt about waking up next to you but don't you have school?" Jacob pointed.

Bella's face flew up from his arm masked with a horrified expression that Jacob had to bit the insides of cheek in order to contain his laughter.

"Crap, crap, CRAP!" Bella swore as she stumbled around the bedroom frantically. "Bells, you need any help?" Jacob offered when Bella fell flat on her butt while trying to pull her jeans over her legs.

"Yes, you can go home and stop—_distracting _me!" she hissed back. Bella pulled her pajamas over her head not even caring that Jacob was enjoying every minute of it but she paused immediately when a knock sounded from her door.

"Bella, are you up yet?" Charlie spoke, "You're going to be late for school."

Bella motioned for Jacob to hide somewhere when she opened her door. Charlie peeked through the small crack.

"Are you ready?" he asked again. "Dad, do I look like I'm ready?" Bella shot back.

Charlie took in his daughter's scrawny hair and the wrinkled clothes she threw on. "I'll go to work now," he mumbled and walked away. "Don't you skip school again Bella!" he shouted from the front door. Bella rapidly slammed the door behind her to continue her rummage around the room, her now-empty room.

"Jake?" Bella called out, scanning the room for any sign of her taller-than-normal boyfriend.

"Ugh, a little help please!"

Bella followed Jacob's muffled voice where it resounded from beneath her bed. She got on all fours and peered under the mattress.

"What are you doing down there?" she giggled at the silly picture. A huge Jacob huddled under her single bed frame. Definitely laugh worthy.

"I couldn't find any other place to hide," he grunted. "Why are you asking for my help anyways?" Bella teased, "It's not like I suddenly possessed supernatural werewolf powers to pull you out of there."

"Come on Bella, you better help me out of here or I won't run you to school," Jake threatened, "It is 15 minutes till 8 honey."

Instantly her hand shot forward. When Jacob grabbed it for leverage, Bella lurched forward under his weight. He successfully crawled away from her bed and was busily dusting his sweats.

"Geez, Bells, there's a thing called vacuum. You ought to check it out sometimes."

Bella pinched his arm even though it was all in vain. "Shut up, jerk. Now do your thing and get me to school. Charlie will kill me if I miss school again."

Bella heard Jacob chuckled and the next she knew, he was stripping down his sweats. She clamped a hand over her eyes quickly.

"What are you doing?!" she shrieked.

"These are my favorite pants Bells," Jacob answered casually as if he had stripped in front of girls all the time, which is rather disturbing to Bella.

"Cavemen," she muttered under her breath. Bella then heard a loud shredding noise accompanied by a distant thud. She cracked an eye open and was shocked to see that the room was now empty except for her. Bella headed to the window where she saw wolf-Jake waiting for her with his tail wagging back-and-forth.

Bella hurriedly grabbed her backpack and rushed downstairs. She didn't forget to pack a hairbrush too. Riding with Jake equals to bad news for her hair.

* * *

Bella waved to Jake inconspicuously for he was still hidden at the forest in his wolf form. As soon as she stepped inside the school compound, she saw a blur of reddish-brown speeding away. Unfortunately, Bella's plan to pass the day peacefully went screeching to a halt when Jessica confronted her at her locker. She had to suppress a groan.

"Bella, you sly dog! You didn't even tell me!" Jessica squealed excitedly. Bella stopped digging through her locker to gawk at her.

"What are you talking about?"

Jessica rolled her eyes dramatically like there's no tomorrow. "I meant your new boy toy, Bella. God, can you be any denser?"

Bella didn't even bother to hide her cringe at the words "boy toy". "I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied. Bella shut her locker before hustling through the crowd of students eager to shake Jessica off. Of course, being the queen of gossip, walking away from her isn't all that easy.

"Everybody saw you making out with that college guy!" she yelled. Bella halted her steps. She whirled around to face a now-grinning Jessica.

"What do you mean everyone?"

Jessica flipped her hair over her shoulders. "Eric, Angela, Lauren, all saw you sucking face with that hunk muffin at the beach yesterday."

Bella's mouth was agape. How could she not notice her peers were there at the same beach?! Jacob is such a distraction!

Jessica giggled at her speechless state. "So I take it you're over Eddie-kins huh. Well, whatever, your current boyfriend is _way _hotter anyways. Does he have any single friends?"

"Um—"

The bell rang in the middle of their awkward conversation which drew relieved breaths from Bella. After waving off Jessica, she made her way to first period—English. Bella took a seat at the back of the class where teachers would hardly notice when you've dozed off from their boring lectures.

Mr. Skinner started his monotone speech about the history of literature. Just as Bella's eyes drooped dangerously, a vibration in her pocket quickly jolted her awake. She slowly took out her cell phone and read the text message when Mr. Skinner had his back to her.

It was from Alice.

_-Need to meet you a.s.a.p_

Bella frowned while replying.

_-Remember school? Yeah, I still do that kind of stuff._

A few seconds later, Alice text back. Bella was half-amazed at her sheer speed; then again, Alice _is _a vampire so it'll probably take her a second to finish a sentence.

_-After school, your house. _

"Ahem!"

Bella's head snapped upwards. Mr. Skinner was glaring down at her with his palm opened towards her. She begrudgingly handed him her cell phone.

"I will see you in detention," he scolded, "because of Miss Swan's rude behavior this morning, all of you shall indulge in the pleasant of essay writing!"

All eyes in the room glared coldly at her. "A two-hundred word essay on the negative effects of cell phones to be precise!"

Bella groaned and banged her forehead repeatedly on her desk.

* * *

After making through chemistry and calculus, it was finally lunch time. Angela had invited her to eat outside since the sun was shining gloriously down at them. Bella's mind drifted off to the Cullens but she quickly shook them away.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Angela softly asked her.

"Oh, I'm fine," she replied with a smile. Bella went back to her plate of meatballs with cranberry sauce. They always seem so—squishy. A loud rumbling noise brought her back to reality from poke-squishy-meatballs land. Bella noticed that everyone had their heads turned as a black motorcycle parked in front of the school. Her face instantly lit up.

Jacob pulled the helmet from his head and shook his head to erase any trace of helmet-hair. Bella jumped to her feet and made her way to where he stood straddling the motorbike. The crowd started whispering when Jacob drew her in his arms but they were far back in her mind.

"What are you doing here?" Bella inquired. "What, I can't visit my girlfriend now?" Jacob playfully commented.

"Seriously, Jake," she giggled when he started planting kisses all over her face. "I was wondering if you're free after school?" he told truthfully. Bella was so tempted to agree with whatever he had in mind but the thought of Mr. Skinner made her groan silently.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I have detention," she muttered darkly. Jacob eyed her skeptically. "You? Detention?"

"I know, I know. My English teacher caught me texting Alice and—"

"Wait, you were texting the leech? For what?" Jacob retracted his arms from around her to cross them in front of his chest.

"Don't call her that. She wants to meet me after school—or detention," Bella explained. Jacob's face darkened drastically.

"And you're agreeing with this? Bella, how many times are you going to fall for the sweet little bloodsucker's trap?" he hissed through clenched teeth. Bella felt anger boiled up inside her.

"Okay, I will not take what you had just said personally seeing how rude it was but have you considered that it might be something important? Alice called me yesterday to _check _on me so it must mean something!"

Jacob's expression now harbored scandalized and a little bit of hurt. "She called you and you didn't even bother telling me about this?"

Bella was in lost for words. She completely forgot to tell Jacob about Alice. "I—forgot," she admitted lamely. Jacob pulled his helmet over his head and roughly kicked the engine to life

"Have fun with the dead, Bells," he snarled before driving away. Bella rubbed her face with her hands recalling Jacob's hurtful eyes. As she sat back down at her table, Bella was painfully aware that everyone was quite and were busy trying not to stare at her.

"Wow, awkward," Tyler whispered under his breath. Pretty soon, the bell rang once more signaling the end of lunch period. Bella made through her classes with her thought constantly drifting off to Jacob.

_Bella, how many times are you going to fall for the sweet little bloodsucker's trap?_

Somehow, that sentence keeps replaying in her mind like an endless loop. Bella leaned her forehead on the cool window glass drowning out the noises during free period.

_How could such a wonderful morning turn to this?_

* * *

_*_**sorry guys, i just _have _to make Jessica say hunk muffin. And Eddie-kins. HAH :D***


	4. Chapter 4: Don't Let Go

Detention couldn't get any slower for Bella. The teacher had given them an assignment to complete but she found it hard to do since her mind kept drifting off to Jacob and how she was going to make it up to him.

_This is our first 'couple' fight_ she suddenly realized.

After what seemed like an eternity, the bell finally rang signaling the end of detention. Bella quickly slung her backpack over her shoulder and made her way out of the school. She suddenly skidded to a stop when she remembered a crucial fact: Jacob had _run_ her to school today so she has no transportation now.

Bella sighed tiredly. She whipped out her cell phone—which Mr. Turner returned after English class—ready to call Charlie. Bella dialed Charlie's number and waited for him to pick up but she hung up when she spotted something—someone.

It was Jacob again, sitting on the grass next to his motorcycle looking bored to tears. Bella hesitantly made her way across the parking lot to where he sat. Jacob's head snapped up when he heard footsteps and Bella could see the regret and a hint of pain in his eyes. She was instantly consumed by guilt and regret.

"Hey," she greeted quietly. Jacob dusted off his jeans as he got up from the grass. He then proceeded to shove his hands inside his pockets, a sign Bella knew as nervousness, and looked anywhere but her face.

"I came to send you home," he stated simply. Bella eyed the black motorcycle he was leaning on. "With that?" she asked agitatedly. Instead of answering her, Jacob threw her a helmet and mounted the bike. Bella reluctantly pulled the helmet over her head and straddled the bike slowly. She didn't know whether to place her hands around Jacob's waist or not seeing he didn't even _look _at her but as the bike sped away Bella's hands automatically gripped his waist tightly.

Jacob stiffened when he felt Bella snaked her arms around him. He still hasn't fully forgiven her yet for not mentioning to him about the leech but it felt nice to feel her pressed up against his back nonetheless. Jacob suddenly felt an intense fear rippled through him. What if the leech brought Cullen back with her? What if Bella goes crawling back to him? He could already feel the pain if he looses her.

_No,_ he thought, _I won't lose her again. Especially not to Cullen! _

He kept his mouth shut the whole journey to Bella's house, which Bella was thankful for as she was busy thinking of what to say to Jacob in order for them to return back to the way it should be. The motorcycle screeched to a halt and Bella got off of it shakily. Jacob reached out to receive the helmet from her hands but Bella held it firmly.

"Jake, I'm sorry, I really am," she blurted out. Jacob killed off the engine to give her his full attention. Bella fidgeted with the straps of the helmet nervously.

"I really did forget to tell you about Alice because I thought it wasn't _that _important," she clarified slowly, "so please, come with me to see her."

Jacob frowned at Bella through his bangs. "Why? So I can watch you follow that leech around like you're some kind of a pet?" he said venomously.

Bella gripped the helmet tightly until her knuckles turned white. "If you're so afraid that Alice came with bad intentions then come with me," she dared. Jacob grumbled angrily before marching to her house. Bella ran up to him and grabbed his arm with all her strength to stop him.

"Do you forgive me?" she whispered. Jacob spun around and for the first time since the fight, his eyes met hers. Bella knew he can see her desperateness and sincerity through her eyes.

Startlingly, Jacob drew her in a hug that was so gentle as if he was afraid to break her. Bella leaned her head on his chest and appreciated his touches.

"You know I can't stay mad at you with that face on, Bells," he breathed against her ear. She smiled against his shirt and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. She eagerly claimed his mouth as they both explored each others' tastes. Bella pulled on his shoulder to flatten herself against him while Jacob's hands wandered from her neck to the small of her back and up to her neck again.

"Oh, will you two please stop?"

Bella whirled around to see Alice tapping her foot impatiently while glaring at them. Before she could utter a word, Alice grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her inside the house.

"Hey!" Jacob protested, seeing his girlfriend being dragged away by the leech. He quickened his steps and joined them in the living room.

"Pack your stuffs, Bella," Alice commanded. Bella's jaw dropped as she yanked her wrist away form Alice's grasp. Jacob quickly went to her side to scowl deeply at Alice.

"What? Why?" she questioned in a scandalized tone. Alice groaned in frustration before proceeding to grab Bella by the shoulder and shook her frame.

"You are in danger, Bella," she stated through gritted teeth, "Victoria is coming after you!"

"Yeah well, what else is new?" Bella muttered. Alice emitted a gasp and stared at her in a scandalized way.

"You knew but you didn't tell about it when I came by? You could've died, Bella!" she shrieked. Bella was getting uncomfortable from Alice's strong grip so she slithered out of it and put some distance between them.

"But I didn't. Jacob protected me, Alice, the whole pack did."

Jacob couldn't contain the smug grin that formed on his face at those words. Alice looked as if she just drank foul blood and was sick to her stomach.

"He's a wolf, Bella. A young wolf! The mutt can kill you anytime!" she shrieked, her voice rising to an impossibly higher pitch. Jacob sneered, ready to defend himself but he was cut off by Bella. He could tell that she was beyond angry; she was furious. For the first time, Jacob sat back and relaxed while watching Bella handle the situation.

"What is wrong with you, Alice? A few days ago you were all fired up to send me back to Jake and now you're acting like a total b—like you've never met him before," Bella yelled.

"But Bella—"

"And you don't have the right to say that Jake is dangerous. What about _you, _Alice? How can I know that you won't suddenly spring up in the air and drink me whole?"

"You know me better that, Isabella Swan," Alice hissed but Bella went on as if she have never spoken.

"Jacob and the pack have worked their butts off to ensure that I still breathe even though my death will not affect them at all," she snapped, "so you can't say that to him."

Alice's expression was unreadable and the tension in the house was so thick someone can cut through it with a knife. She blinked once, twice before snatching her designer bag off the couch.

"Fine, do whatever you want," Alice sighed, "just—don't die."

Bella was rooted to the floor watching Alice hurried to the door. Jacob could sense that she was slightly upset but decided to be quite about it. Suddenly, Bella ran forward and clutched Alice's arm to prevent her from walking out of the door.

"Alice, wait," she choked out, "how—how's Edward?"

Jacob sucked in a breath at the mention of his name and his fists clenched tightly on their own accord. Alice avoided Bella's eyes while shrugging her shoulders.

"He's…doing okay."

"Don't lie to me, Alice," Bella demanded. Alice grunted, shuffling her foot nervously.

"He's not doing so well. He refuses to come out of his room and keeps playing your lullaby," she revealed. Bella's suppressed gasped was audible to Jake's ears. The fear he felt during the journey here came back to him in waves but he also felt incredibly guilty of thinking that Bella would leave him after that little speech she made to defend him.

"Well," Bella paused, "tell him I'm so sorry."

Alice nodded and gave her a quick hug before fleeting to her fancy car. After Bella had shut the door, she faced Jacob with mixed emotions. Her legs seemed to developed minds of their own as she closed the remaining distance between Jake to fling her arms around his shoulders.

Jacob caught Bella with ease and relaxed, now that the leech was gone.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Jake," she mumbled through the fabric of his shirt.

"Hmm? Hear what?" Jacob was lost in Bella's arms and nothing mattered to him anymore.

She pulled away gently from him. "You've—done a great job keeping me alive," she humored. Jake grinned which made Bella giggled when he began nuzzling her neck.

"Jake, stop!" she shrieked when he licked the spot where her pulse was located.

"Yes, Jacob, you should stop."

Bella yelped as she jumped away from Jacob only to stumble on her own jeans and grabbed desperately on Jacob's arm for support. He stumbled forward a little but still maintained his cool composure.

"Dad! We were just—"

"I think you ought to leave now, Jacob. Billy must be looking for you right now," he said sternly. Jacob nodded quickly and made a hasty exit past Charlie.

Bella stood in the middle of the hallway trying her hardest not to look too guilty. Charlie's feet were also planted on the spot where he saw first Jacob Black goofing off with his daughter.

_But she looked so happy,_ he thought.

"So, Jacob, huh," he broke the silence awkwardly. Bella's cheeks turned beet red as she looked everywhere except his eyes.

"He just—stopped by to drop me off," she lied the best she could without stuttering. Charlie smirked to himself; Bella was a horrible liar.

"It's okay, Bells. He's—a good kid."

Bella's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Never would come the day would she hear that Charlie approved her boyfriend yet here they were.

"You're okay with this?" she questioned skeptically. Charlie cleared his throat and shuffled to the living room.

"Well, as long as you're not making out with him under my roof, I am okay with it," he said sternly. Bella nodded slowly, suddenly feeling very awkward and self-conscious.

"Um, I'll prepare dinner in an hour," she muttered to Charlie who was already absorbed in his sports.

"Huh? Oh, can we just order in, Bells?" he asked without tearing his eyes away from the television screen, "I'm feeling like eating pizza tonight."

Bella giggled quietly to herself. "Sure, Dad."

As soon as she was safely in her room, Bella released a huge breath before collapsing to the floor in a fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?"

Bella clutched her chest in shocked at the sound of the familiar husky voice. She panted from the sudden rush of fear and adrenaline. Jacob couldn't help but grin.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that, you jack ass!" she whispered harshly, "You want to kill me, don't you? Just admit it!"

"Sorry, Bells, I forgot how mystic I walked right now," he muttered apologetically.

"You heard everything, didn't you?" Bella pointed as Jacob helped her to her feet. His face once again broke into a huge grin.

"Yup. I feel so loved now, Bells!" he joked. Jacob leaned in to kiss her and closed his eyes in anticipation but he didn't feel her lips instead his head collided with the door next to her head when his toe got caught on a loose floorboard.

"Shit!" he swore, clutching at his painful nose.

"Shh, be quite!" Bella giggled. Jacob huffed angrily and took a seat on her bed, still covering his nose with his hand.

"What's going on up there?" Charlie shouted from below. Bella poked her head out of the door and hollered back, "Nothing, I just stubbed my toe!"

She sat beside Jacob, giggles still bubbling up her throat. He glared at her angrily.

"There, there Jake. Now that Charlie thinks you're family, you're cursed with the Swan's klutziness," she teased.

"Har Har," he muttered but couldn't keep a smile from forming on his face. Bella returned his smile but it quickly faltered when she suddenly thought of what Alice had just informed her. Jacob, however, noticed her expression.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently. Bella shook her head and muttered 'it's silly'. Jacob playfully bumped her shoulder with his to lighten up her sudden glum mood.

"Come on, Bells," he pressed on. She finally sighed in defeat.

"I just—I feel sorry for Edward," Bella admitted. Jacob's jaw dropped downwards. He spun her around so that they were face to face. Bella looked a little shocked but she didn't complain.

"Bella, _he _left _you _remember? So if anyone should be feeling sorry right now, it would be him," he pointed out clearly.

"You're right," Bella sighed with a shrug from her shoulders. She buried her face at the crook of his neck and silence consumed them. Jacob knew she was upset again and the only way to make her feel better—even know it was never her fault—was the inevitable.

"Bells, maybe you should go see him," Jacob suggested slowly. Bella raised her head from his shoulder and stared at him astonished.

"He's in—L.A, Jake."

Jacob cocked his head to side, trying to figure out a solution.

"Hmm," he hummed to himself, "you can call the pixie leech—"

"Alice," Bella interrupted. Jacob just rolled his eyes.

"—Alice, to bring him here so you can…say goodbye or something."

Bella's face showed so many mixed emotions till Jacob was afraid she was going to short-circuit. He was about to shake some sense into her when she threw her arms around him and squeezed him as tight as her dainty arms could.

"I love you," her declarations were muffled by his chest. He laughed softly and ran his hands up and down her back.

"I love you too," he whispered.

Jacob knew he had made a right decision but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that was gnawing deep inside his chest.


	5. Chapter 5: Assailant

**_~Guys, this chapter would be more prominent on Jacob :)~_**

Bella really couldn't believe that Jacob had actually wanted her to go see Edward. She was still in a state of shock while laying there on the bed with Jacob snoring softly beside her. Her eyes wandered to his peaceful face and she began wondering if it was the right thing to do. Bella decided that she was too tired to think about it. She carefully maneuvered her head so it rested on Jake's shoulder.

"Love you so much," she mumbled just before sleep proclaimed her.

Bella was woken up by the loud beeping noise next to her head. A hand shot up from under the covers to press the stop button. The hole made by her arm drew cold air inside the covers and Bella instantly shivered from the sudden change of temperature. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she willed herself to brave the cold.

_Wait._

As the sleep fogging her brain cleared up, the fact that _she was cold_ made her search the room abruptly. Like she suspected, Jacob was no where in sight. Bella sighed to herself while dragging her legs to the bathroom. Perhaps Jake was somehow upset with her, she thought.

After making herself looked decent enough for school, Bella strutted back into her room to grab her school bag but something caught her eye. She padded to her nightstand where there was a white note pasted on her lamp. Bella didn't know how she could have not seen it earlier. Her hands quickly unfolded the little paper to find Jacob's messy handwriting scribbled on it.

_Bells,_

_Had to leave early today; Sam would kill me if he knew I skipped school again. I didn't want to wake you sleeping. _

_Jake._

_p/s: I love you, beautiful._

Bella blushed upon reading the last line. She held the note to her chest and couldn't stop herself from giggling like a school girl. The note was stuffed inside her school bag before Bella slung it over her shoulders and made her way downstairs, feeling very cheerful all of a sudden.

She wasn't surprised to see that Charlie had already gone off to work. He was always like this nowadays; going to work early and coming home late. Bella grabbed an apple off the counter and made her way towards her truck.

* * *

Jacob was in his wolf form, trailing behind Sam with the rest of the pack behind them in their usual formation. Paul had caught a leech scent when he went for his typical morning run. He immediately alerted Jacob who had just arrived home before Sam. They were now searching the woods for the red-headed leech that was determined to kill Bella.

Speaking of the clumsy girl, Jacob felt a little bit guilty for leaving her earlier but he had left a note. Surely she saw it, right?

_Jacob, focus! _Sam barked. He immediately snapped back to reality.

_There! The leech is going to the left! _Jared shouted. All seven of them ran according to the lingering scent.

Jacob spotted whips of red hair ahead, speeding away from them. His paws thundered heavily against the ground as he pushed himself to run faster so he could finish the leech once and for all.

_Shit, she's fast!_ Embry panted. Jacob growled deep within his chest, seeing the vampire's silhouette getting smaller and smaller.

_How the fuck can that thing run faster than us?! _He snarled.

_Calm, Jacob. She was way ahead of us in the beginning, _Sam said calmly.

Luck was with them, Jacob thought, when the pack finally gets to corner her near the edge of the forest. Growls and snarls ripped through each of their chests. Victoria smiled sinisterly at them.

"Aww, such cute puppies," she mocked. Jacob raised a paw, ready to rip that grin from her face but stopped abruptly when she clapped her hands together.

"My children, stop these mutts!" she shouted. Just as she said it, Jacob's sense of smell was invaded with stench of vampires and there were lots of them. His head turned around to see children, probably from the age of 3 to 9 surrounding them in the quantity of at least 10.

_What the hell?! Baby leeches now?! _Quil expressed in shock and disbelief.

The vampires sprang forward and clutched on Jacob's fur, just like the others did to the rest of the pack. He shook his body roughly trying to get that thing off of him but its grip was too tight. Jacob saw from the corner of his eyes Victoria running towards the cliff and leaped into the raging sea below, _again._

Seth grabbed the vampire kid with his mouth and flung him away from Jacob's back. Most of the baby vampires were successfully killed by Sam and Paul but for the remaining, they immediately imitated their—_leader?_—and threw themselves into the water before the wolves could catch them.

_God damn it, always the cliff! _

Leah groaned, trying to lick a bleeding wound on her shoulder. _That stupid kid clawed me! _Paul snorted at her. _Try being kicked and banged on the head. _Jacob gnarled again before trudging back towards his house, ready to just collapse on his bed and sleep.

_Come on, guys_ Sam ordered _Jared and Embry will patrol the area to make sure we're really leech-free. _

They grunted in response and mirrored Jacob's actions while the two wolves scouted their assigned areas. Jacob suddenly felt very sleepy, even though he just had a night's rest with Bella.

_That's what _we _get for protecting that leech lover of yours, _Leah sneered at his thought. Jacob stopped his pace to growl threateningly at her.

_She's not like that! Not anymore!_ He snarled. Leah created some kind of a wolf-snort before stepping up to him so they were face to face, or specifically muzzle to muzzle.

_Admit it, Jacob. She had been one of them and always will be one of them!_

Jacob was vaguely aware of the roar that tore through his mouth as he sprang on Leah, sending them both toppling on the dirt. He clamped his teeth on the tuffs of fur on her stomach, receiving blows from Leah's legs.

_Get off of me you crazy bastard!_

_Not until you apologize!_

Jacob tightened his jaw on her skin and she struggled against him, clawing at whatever she could reach. Leah threw him off of her and stood on her hind legs. Jacob followed suit, biting and clawing at her.

_ENOUGH!! _Sam shouted at the two writhing creatures on the forest floor. Neither of them seemed to notice him as they kept tugging and gnawing at each other. The rest of the pack stared at the duo curiously yet a little bit amused.

_10 bucks on Leah, _Quil bet.

_Naw, man, have you seen the way Jacob fight? Even Sam sometimes have to stop first, _Seth interrupted.

_Guys, quiet! _Sam barked sternly. After they had successfully silenced themselves, Sam turned his attention to the two quarrelling wolves.

_Jacob, Leah, for the last time, stop acting like a bunch of 10 year olds!_

Under the harsh demand of their alpha, Jacob and Leah could do nothing but comply and untangled themselves from each other. When Sam angrily strode towards them, the wolves bowed their heads down bashfully.

_Leah, you went over board with that immature comment of yours, _he chided, _I think you know what to do now._

She growled again, backing away from Sam. _You're the same as him! You're just another toy for that leech girl!_ Leah screamed in her mind before bolting away from them.

Sam sighed tiredly, shaking his head slowly. When he began walking back home, the rest of them followed. Jacob was not in the mood for the witty comments from his brothers so he took an alternative route to his home, blocking his thoughts effectively.

Jacob phased back at the edge of the forest and slipped on the shorts he had tied to his ankles. His muscles felt sore and tender as he limped to the front door. Billy's eyes widened as he saw Jacob walking through the door. His body was covered in purple bruises, and there were bleeding cuts that looked strangely like bite marks on his arms and chest. If it wasn't for his son's rapidly healing body, Billy would've fainted by now.

"Son, what happened?" he questioned Jacob worriedly.

"Leah," he grumbled in reply. Without another word, Jacob dragged himself into his bedroom. The moment his head hit the pillows, he was instantly transported to dreamland. A dreamland filled with images and memories of a certain brunette girl, of course. But unfortunately, this time the dream turned more into a nightmare.

"_Jake." _

_Jacob spun around to the sound of the lovely voice. He saw Bella standing in front of a cozy cottage. The sight of her took his breath away; her shining brown hair fell like rivers down her back, her creamy skin glowed against the soft moonlight and her pink lips were curled in a mesmerizing smile. _

_Jacob's arms ache to hold her in his arms, to feel her against him. Just as he took no more than a step forward, his vision changed. Suddenly he was standing in the middle of a forest clearing and his Bella had changed. Her eyes were now blood red and her skin sparkled brightly. She was also in the arms of none other than Edward Cullen. Bella's mouth opened to speak._

"_I love you Jake but I choose Edward. It will always be him."_

_Edward smirked at him over Bella's head. "Thank you for leading her to me," he hissed._

Jacob woke up with a start. He sat up on his bed, peeling his damp shirt away from his chest. For a moment, Jake did nothing but stare off in space and recalling the dream. Bella was a vampire and chose Cullen. Bella was a vampire and chose Cullen because he led her to him.

He was brought back from his pondering by the ringing of the phone. Billy was probably out with Sue so he had no choice but to answer it. Jacob got off the bed lazily and padded down the hallway

"Hello?" he answered.

"Jake, great. You're home."

Jacob's mood spontaneously brightened upon hearing Bella's voice. "'Sup, Bells?"

"I'm on my way to La Push right now so I was making sure that you didn't decide to drive down here," she explained.

"I have a girlfriend who saves me gas money. Swee-eet," he humored and was glad to hear Bella laughing.

"But you don't even use your car nowadays, Jake. You run—oh my god!!"

Jacob felt his heart thudded rapidly in his chest at the sound of screeching tires and the unmistakable noise of metal hitting metal heard through the phone.

"Bells? Bella?!" he shouted but there was no answer. Jacob slammed the phone against its cradle and ran outside. He sprinted in the direction of the highway out of La Push. He pushed himself faster when his mind starting playing all kinds of possibilities of what happened to Bella.

_Please be okay, please be okay!_

After 10 minutes of running, Jacob finally spotted the familiar red truck. He fastened his pace and he could see steam rising from the engine. As soon as Jacob got to the truck, he tore the door open and grabbed Bella gently. She was unconscious, her head situated on the steering wheel.

After safely transporting her from the car onto the dirt ground on the side of the road, Jacob rested Bella's head on his lap and stroked her cheek gently trying to rouse her. He avoided the small cuts all over her face, a result from the shattered windshield.

"Bella. Bella honey, please wake up," he pleaded softly. Eventually, her eyelids fluttered open and gazed up at him dazedly.

"Jake," she breathed. Jacob held her tight in his arms, relieved that she was unharmed.

"God, Bella. What the hell did you hit?"

Bella sat up properly, clutching her head tenderly. She studied her truck, attempting to comprehend the situation. Jacob waited for her patiently, his hands unconsciously rubbing up and down her arms in a comforting manner.

Bella turned her head towards him, confusion etched on her face. "I—I don't know what I hit, Jake," she explained, "I was driving then all of a sudden there was this red blur that dashed in front of me. I tried to stop but—"

Jacob tightened his hold on her. "It's okay, Bells, you're safe now," he comforted. After Bella calmed down, Jacob helped her up from the ground. He scratched his head, figuring out a way to transport the truck back to his place—or maybe the dump yard. Judging from the huge dent in the front hood, the truck couldn't possibly move another inch.

"Just—call a tow truck," Bella mumbled, her voice sounding a little breathless. Jacob turned to her and his eyes widened, eyeing the river of blood trickling down the side of her face from a gash on her forehead.

"Shit, Bella! I've gotta take you to the E.R!" Jacob panicked. Before Bella could protest, she was swept into his arms and he ran with his inhuman speed and strength.

Bella would've flown out of his arms if it wasn't for her deathly grip on his neck when Jacob suddenly stopped. He growled, his lips pulling back over his teeth in a sneer.

"Leech," he snarled. Jacob set Bella on her feet and stood in front of her protectively. Bella couldn't refrain herself from gripping his shirt in fear. Jacob's growls got louder and louder until it sounds animalistic. Bella spotted a flame creeping closer and closer to them, coming from the opposite forest edge.

"Don't you know it's not polite to bleed in front of a vampire, Bella?" a sickening sweet voice mocked.

Bella went ghostly white. Victoria.


	6. Chapter 6: Mild Attack

**~Hey guys, thanks for the awesome reviews. You're the greatest, you know that? :D but i have bad news. I won't be able to update next week since I'm going to Singapore for 5 days. But no worries, I'll post the new chapter as soon as I get home. Enjoy Chapter 6!~**

Jacob crouched low in front of Bella, frightening animalistic sounds escaping his lips. Bella gripped his shirt so tightly until her hands almost felt numb from the pressure. Victoria's blood-red eyes never left hers as she stared at the blood trickling slowly down her face.

"Get the hell away from here, you fucking leech," Jacob hissed. Victoria clicked her tongue. "Why are so desperate to protect the girl, mutt?"

When Jacob didn't answer, her eyes widened and her mouth emitted a shrill laugh. "Oh, you're _in love_ with her," she stated. They soon began circling each other, hisses and snarls filling in the silence. Bella stumbled back slowly, her eyes fixed on Jacob.

"This is going to be good," Victoria sneered, "killing a human for the price of two." With that sentence, she leaped in the sky heading for Bella but Jacob was quick; he had phased in a matter of seconds and shoved Victoria to the ground.

Bella knew she should've run away from them but she couldn't find the strength to leave Jacob alone with her. She had seen what Victoria was capable of and just one wolf fighting her would be fatal.

Jacob tried to snap his jaw on Victoria's arm but she kicked him away like he weighed nothing. He twisted his body in mid-air so he landed on his paws unharmed and sprang back onto her.

_Jake, no! She's too strong! _Bella helplessly screamed inside her mind as Victoria flung him away with a lash of her arm. She could hear the bone-cracking noise when Jacob landed on the tar road. Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down for Bella when Victoria placed herself on Jacob. She had his neck constricted under her hands. Her long fingernails scraped against his fur, making him growl in pain. Victoria stood up with her boot-clad foot positioned on Jacob's leg.

"And just to make sure you know what 'stay' means," she smirks.

"No!" Bella screamed, running to where Jacob lay. Victoria watched amusingly as she wrapped her arms around Jacob trying in vain to protect him from her.

"Don't hurt him!" she sobbed. "Just take me!" Jacob expelled a low growl as a sign of protest. Victoria giggled in excitement. She traced a finger on the blood trail on Bella's face and sucked it in her mouth. Her eyes closed as she hummed in contentment.

"Delicious."

Bella's whole form trembled in fear. She shut her eyes tightly when she felt her fingers danced on the skin of her neck. Her mind had prepared herself for the inevitable death that would come upon her soon but as she waited with Jacob's smile playing before eyes, nothing happened. Not even a scratch.

Bella forced her eyes open and was shocked to see that Victoria was now standing four feet away from them, her red eyes twinkling in delight.

"We will meet again, human. For your death," she whispered, her voice like knives stabbing into Bella.

In a blink of an eye, the vampire was gone. Though still shaken with fear, Bella averted her attention to the wolf lying in her arms. She ran her hand through his thick fur that soon absorbed most of her tears.

"Jake, wake up," she breathed. Jacob lifted his head from her lap and stood up shakily. He stroked his muzzle against Bella's wet cheeks in a gesture she knew meant 'don't cry, I'm here'.

Soon, Bella and Jacob weren't alone anymore. The members of the pack greeted them near the crash site. One by one, they transformed back except three other wolves that ran into the forest again.

"Bella, are you okay?" Sam asked worriedly. She nodded her head, eyes glistening with tears.

"Why won't he phase back?" Bella questioned in panic. Sam took a cloth to gently stop the bleeding on her forehead.

"His body heals faster when he's in wolf form. Jacob will be back to normal in a matter of minutes," he explained softly. Bella nodded again and allowed Sam to lift her by her arms.

"Come on, I'm going to take you to the tribe doctor."

"But Jake—"

Sam led her away from Jacob's resting form even though she hastily glanced at him again. "He's going to be fine."

Bella spotted Embry standing next to Jared watching over Jacob. She quickly slipped out of Sam's grip for a minute to give him a small hug. Surprised, Embry awkwardly patted her back.

"Make sure he's okay," she whispered to him.

"Sure thing," he grinned in reply. Bella suddenly froze when she noticed the blood stain on Embry's bare shoulder.

"Um, sorry about that," she apologized bashfully, "guess I'm bleeding more than I know."

Bella pressed a palm to her forehead and her hand was instantly covered in blood. With all the adrenaline long gone, her nose now could pick up the coppery smell of her blood and she felt her body swayed a little.

"You know what, I don't feel so good anymore," she admitted shakily. Sam hurriedly gathered her in his arms and made a run to the doctor.

* * *

"There you go, all done," Dr. Chayton announced once he had finished stitching close the gash on Bella's forehead. She stood up from her seat on the sofa as Dr. Chayton handed her some medications.

"If you feel any pain, take these two times a day," he elaborated, "and I'll take out your stitches in two weeks time, okay."

"Thank you," Bella smiled gratefully. Dr. Chayton mirrored her smile and gave Sam a handshake. Emily, who patiently stood by Sam, showed Dr. Chayton the door. Bella ignored the lingering pain in her forehead to walk up to Sam. She was in dire need to know Jacob's condition.

"Sam, can you take me back to—"

A sudden bang of Emily's door interrupted Bella's request. Bella whipped her head around to see the boy occupying her thoughts walking through the door while joking around with Embry. Nobody would ever guess that Jacob was beaten up by a vampire a while ago according to his condition now.

Jacob's attention diverted to Bella as she ran up to him and threw herself on him. When she was safely secured in his arms, Jacob could feel the wetness lingering on the skin of his shoulders. Only then could he feel Bella's body shaking with sobs.

"I was so scared," she choked out. Jacob smoothened her hair beneath his palm and kissed her neck gently.

"Shh, don't cry honey, I'm alright," he soothed. Bella withdrew a little, her face glowing red. Jacob wiped away a few tears before giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Really, Bells, I'm perfectly fine. Just a few broken ribs."

"Yeah, Bella, he's in good shape" Embry butted in, "exhibit A," without any warning, he proceeded to punch Jacob on the side. Bella gasped, stepping to the side while Jacob tackled him to the floor. Using his height and well, more muscular built, Jacob had Embry in a headlock despite his attempts to break free.

"Say 'uncle'!" Jacob yelled, tightening his arm. Embry started making choking noises until Bella was honestly afraid Jacob would suffocate him.

"Un—cle!" he choked out. When Jacob finally released his hold, Embry drew in deep breaths, rubbing his rapidly reddening neck. "Sheesh," he muttered under his breath. Bella couldn't suppress the smile that erupted on her tear-streaked face watching the two brothers.

"See, now Bella thinks you're a big puppy running around jumping on people," Embry said, noticing her grin. Jacob turned his head to her, pulling his best puppy-dog eyes look, successfully making Bella melt in a single look.

"You don't think I'm a dog, right?" he questioned playfully.

Before Bella could join in his playful banter, Sam interrupted them with a cough. He stood in the middle of the room, gesturing the boys to pay attention to him.

"Okay guys, we have to devise up a plan to take down this leech and her colony once and for all," he announced. Bella took a seat on the couch next to Jacob and linked her hands with his. The rest of the pack sat down on whatever empty place left.

"As you all may know," he continued, "the leech has formed her own army of newborn vampires."

Bella gasped, hearing the new information. Jacob immediately squeezed her hand as a form of comfort. Sam studied Bella for a minute before carrying on with the meeting.

"She was last seen at the border of Canada along with the children. We have to prep up our defense, which means no more fooling around during patrol and we'll alternate between shifts."

A scoff resounded at the end of the room. All head turned around to gazed curiously at the only female of the pack, Leah. _That's weird,_ Bella thought, _she wasn't there when I got here._

"And all of this work for what?" Leah spat, "Just to make sure Jacob's girlfriend here gets to run around frolicking with other bloodsuckers!"

Sam's face instantly shifted to stone hard. "Bella is just as important as any of us, Leah," he pointed out clearly. She snorted and jumped down from her perch on the edge of Emily's table. Everybody was silent as Leah slowly made her way to the pack until she was standing right in front of Bella. Jacob immediately stiffened and tried to pull Bella behind him even though they were still sitting on the couch.

"We are all risking our lives because of your stupid mistake," Leah sneered to Bella, "if you haven't gotten yourself involved with the fucking Cullens then none of this would've happened!"

Jacob started to growl but Leah ignored him as she continued, "I wouldn't have phased and nobody would've died!"

Bella followed when Jacob shot up to his feet, his lips pulled back over his teeth revealing the sharp canines. "Don't blame everything on Bella!" he growled dangerously, "everything happens for a reason."

"Yeah and the reason is that the pale-face here is so eager to join the undead!" she shot back. "How do you know she won't crawl back to those sparkling creatures once they're back, huh? How do you know she's not merely using you to get over Cullen?!"

Bella didn't know what but suddenly she felt something inside of her snapped at Leah's remark. She stepped aside from behind Jacob so she can see Leah clearly before taking a step towards her.

"Don't you dare say that, Leah," Bella shot through gritted teeth, "don't you dare conclude my feelings! Yes, I admit that Edward was a mistake and it was my fault that Victoria's hunting me now but you cannot say that what I feel for Jacob isn't real!"

Leah's eye brows nearly touched themselves from frowning so hard and her fists clenched and unclenched themselves. "You will never know how much Jake means to me and I will do anything for him."

Bella saw Leah's onyx eyes twinkled in anger as she took another step closer. "And what, pray tell, can you do for him?" Leah hissed. "You're dead with just a flick of the leech's finger."

"Enough, Leah!" Jacob growled, using his body as a divider between Leah and Bella though Bella didn't acknowledge it as she maneuvered out of his way and stared at Leah only.

"If that is what it takes to stop Victoria from hurting Jake—from hurting all of you—then I'd rather die," she whispered harshly.

The whole room was eerie with dead air once again, including Leah. The black-haired girl gave Bella one last cold stare before marching to the door. Sam sighed angrily, following Leah's steps probably to talk to her even though it will only make things worse.

Bella collapsed heavily on the sofa with Jacob's eyes on her intently. An awkward cough resounded from somewhere in the room resulting in more awkward noises. Jacob took a seat next to her, pulling Bella flush to his side.

"I think we'll have to continue this meeting tomorrow," Sam chided as soon as he walked through the door. The boys murmured in agreement, quickly shuffling to their feet and exited Emily's small living room.

Jacob sighed silently and got up to his feet as well, dragging Bella along with him. "Come on, Bells. Let's head home," he uttered. Bella let him lead her to the sidewalk where they walked side by side. She started to wonder why they weren't taking a car instead but today's event reminded her why.

"So do you mean it?" Jacob's husky voice broke the silence. Bella whipped her head around to face him.

"Mean what?" she inquired, honestly confused. Jacob shoved his large hands inside the pockets of his cut-off jeans.

"That entire die thing you just blurted out," he explained, onyx eyes fixed hard on her. Bella quickly looked away and studied the gravel beneath her sneakers. She could still feel the heavy weight of Jake's stare on her.

"Yes," she mumbled hurriedly. Jacob's trainers screeched against the slick sidewalk when he ceased his steps so suddenly. He then grabbed Bella's arms firmly and spun her around to face him.

"You will not do such thing, Bella," he warned in lowered voice. Her eyes widened upon seeing the desperation played before Jacob's deep brown eyes. "I—I need to know that you'll be there waiting for me every time I come home from patrol!"

"Jake—"

"Promise me, Bella. I can't have you running around trying to get yourself killed while I'm away," he pleaded. Bella didn't know what to say; she absolutely refused to be a damsel in distress, waiting for her knight in shining armor to rescue her.

"But Jake, I—"

"Promise me," he interrupted firmly.

"I—I promise," Bella choked out. Before a second could fly by after those words left her lips, Jacob had enclosed his arms around her body tightly. Bella could sense his urgent need although she wasn't quite sure what. Jacob finally released her after a few minutes passed and unexpectedly swept her off her feet causing a small shriek to escape her lips.

"Wha—Jake!" Bella protested but still wrapped her arms around his neck nonetheless. Jacob began walking down the street with her carried in his arms as if she weighed nothing. Bella was about to protest again but Jacob's lips on her forehead chimed in.

"Relax, Bells, you've just gotten out of an accident, which reminds me that your car is still in the highway," he pointed out, his mood suddenly lightening up to chirpy. Bella leaned her head on his shoulder gingerly and let her mind play out the horrible incident.

"Well, you've just gotten out from a vampire's death trap," she retorted. Jacob chuckled deep in his throat.

"I'm a werewolf, you're a puny human," he teased. Bella grumbled in reply, her eyelids drooping from the comforting warmth Jacob provided.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me," Jake nudged her gently; "I'm not your own human heater now."

"Oh but you are and you like it," Bella mumbled drowsily. She could sense his wide grin without even looking at it. "You caught me," he laughed. Jacob's footsteps plus his warmth and gentle hold on her lulled Bella to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Standing Strong

**I am so so so so sorry for the LATE update but I have a good reason for it, I swear. **

**1. My laptop crashed and I had to send it to repair which took almost two weeks.**

**2. School just started and I'm currently in my junior year at high school. Lots of extra-curricular activities I was forced to join took my time away.**

**3. I've just started learning Add Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics which are relatively new subjects for me. We don't learn these until we've reached Form Four (Junior) so I had to take extra classes in order for me to understand these. (sheesh, additional mathematics is a sucker -.-)**

**So those are my quite irrelevant reasons. Once again, I am so so so sorry for the delay. Here's chapter 7 :) thanks so much for being patient. **

Jacob gently lowered a sleeping Bella on his couch while Billy watched him carefully from his perch in the kitchen. "Are you sure you're supposed to be carrying people around after you're almost mauled by a vampire?" he chimed in. Jacob draped a quilt over Bella and raised his eyes to meet Billy's.

"No big deal, Dad. I've healed."

Billy simply chuckled and smiled gently as his son went back to staring at the snoozing girl from his seat on the coffee table. He was about to warn Jacob not to break the table when a light knock rasped from the front door. "Come in!" Billy permitted.

The door gave a light squeak as Sam walked in, his gaze immediately falling on Jacob. He silently strode towards them and peered down at Bella. "Is she okay?" he questioned. Jacob gave a mumbled 'yeah' before brushing a strand of brown locks away from Bella's face. Sam studied the young boy's gesture deeply. "She's just so selfless, isn't she?" he spoke his thoughts out loud.

"Yeah but I won't let her do it," Jacob answered, referring to Bella's little confession just now. Sam didn't hesitate to state the other matter that was occupying his mind lately. "I can tell—no, I _know_ that Bella loves you just as much as you do," he spoke quietly, "but have you ever thought of what would happen to her when you imprint?"

Jacob stood up so suddenly, almost knocking the table backwards in the process and faced Sam. "That would never happen to me," he argued. "It's nature, Jacob. You can't fight it," Sam stated truthfully.

Jacob's eyes narrowed dangerously as he felt his blood beginning to boil. "I will fight whatever imprinting really is. I choose whom I want to love not some freaky 'nature'", hissed Jacob through clenched teeth. Sam could only sigh at his fiery temper when it comes to Bella and the idea of imprinting.

"When it does happen and Bella's back to the way she was when Cullen left her, don't say I haven't told you so."

"Trust me, I won't."

A moment of pause passed between the two wolves while Billy, never moving from his original spot, sipped his beer, adamant to stay far away in case a werewolf brawl suddenly happens. A few seconds flew by before Jacob finally spoke up. "What's your real reason here, Sam?"

"I've made my point, Jacob," was all he said before walking out the door again, pausing for a moment to remind Jacob of his patrol. Billy slowly rolled his wheelchair to the living room where Jacob sat heavily at the end of the couch. "I can't help but to agree with Sam, son," he admitted. Jacob, deciding he has had enough, scrambled to his feet hastily and gently gathered Bella in his arms again.

"I'm sending Bella home," he said nonchalantly. Billy gazed sadly at his son's retreating silhouette, all the while thinking of the girl tucked safely in his embrace and the heartbreak doomed upon her.

* * *

The bumps on the road plus Jacob's angry rants were enough to stir Bella out of her slumber. At first, she was a little disoriented and it took her a while to register where she was and what was happening. Sensing her consciousness, Jacob immediately stopped his blabbering to smile sweetly at Bella.

"It's about time you wake up," he joked, "I was beginning to think that 80% of your life is spent by sleeping."

Ignoring his remark, Bella stretched her limbs the best she could in the cramped Rabbit. "What time is it?" she asked a little bit slurry. "Um, 10 minutes past 6," he answered, referring to the dashboard clock Bella somehow failed to see.

Bella sat in her seat more properly and gazed out of the window into the blur shapes of the trees. "Anything happened while I was out?" Jacob was silent for a moment after she asked the question, deciding whether to tell her or not. He decided against it.

"No, not really. Sam just stopped by to remind me of my patrol," he lied. Luckily, his eyes were set on the road so Bella couldn't see his truth bending. Bella let out a huge yawn before resting her head on Jacob's shoulder. Suddenly, she withdrew away from him quickly making Jacob jumped a little.

"Charlie's gonna kill me when he finds out about the car!" she groaned. Jacob snorted amusingly at her. "Kill you? Bella, Charlie's going to be jumping in joy knowing that the piece of junk is out of his driveway."

Bella's jaw dropped dramatically before punching him in the arm, though Jacob barely felt it. "For your information, I happen to love that truck," she scoffed, "any kind of insult towards it is unacceptable."

A loud laugh vibrated through Jacob's chest as they pulled up in front of Bella's house. He immediately pulled her into a hug, making Bella rise and fall in sync with his laughter. "For you, honey, I might just rebuild that thing again," he whispered into her hair.

Bella slowly snaked her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his—naked—chest. "Thank you," she breathed against his skin. Jacob knew she wasn't thanking him for taking her home or for promising to fix her truck; Bella was more than grateful that he was sacrificing so much for her.

In reply, Jacob simply pressed his lips to her head in a gesture full with affection. When a loud knock rasped at the window, they both sprang apart to stare at the man scowling at them. Charlie. He was bending at the window with a look that could easily put any bloodthirsty vampire to shame.

Bella shakily got out of the car to face the wrath of Charlie. Jacob quickly killed off the engine and sprinted to her side. Charlie's face slowly turned red every second he kept silent until finally the dam exploded.

"What were you _thinking_, Bella?!" he shouted, his arms flailing about, "I was at work when my officer told me that my daughter had just been involved in a road accident! Then I rushed to the site to find your beat up truck but you no where in sight!"

Bella shrank back a little, her hand automatically gripping Jacob's tightly. "Dad—" Charlie raised his hand to stop her from interrupting his outburst. "So I immediately called all the hospitals in Forks, Port Angeles, heck even the whole Washington but nobody seemed to know where you are! Do you know how worried I was, Isabella Marie Swan?!"

"Sir, it wasn't Bella's fault. I was there at the crash and I brought here to our tribe's doctor. I'm the one to blame; I forgot to call you," Jacob took the blame bravely. Charlie looked calm a little bit though he kept glaring at them, alternating between Jacob and Bella.

"I'm so sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to, I swear," Bella apologized before proceeding to throw him a hug. That seemed to do the trick. Almost instantly, all the tension left Charlie's body as he slowly returned her hug.

"I'm just glad you're okay," he mumbled. She pulled away from him with a smile on her lips causing Charlie to smile back. He side-stepped Bella and grabbed Jacob's large hand in his to shake it firmly.

"Thank you for watching out for her, kid." Jacob couldn't help but grin at Charlie. "It's my pleasure, Chief."

Due to his overloaded bravery and a bit of mischief, Jacob leaned down towards Bella and quickly pecked her on the lips. Bella's face spontaneously burned bright red while Charlie merely chuckled at them.

"See you later, Bells." With a cheeky wink, Jacob got in his car and drove off leaving Bella a little stunned. Charlie steered her away from the road by her shoulders and walked them both inside the house.

"Come on, kid. You have to go downtown with me to do some serious reporting."

Bella didn't bother suppressing her groan.

* * *

Jacob arrived home to find it completely empty. He found Billy's note stating that he went to meet with the Elders while rummaging through the refrigerator. His stomach was growling in hunger so Jacob reheated some of the leftovers brought over by Bella a few days ago.

Two servings of lemon chicken later, Jacob finally dragged his heavy limbs down to his room and collapsed heavily on top of his bed. His eyelids struggled to stay open but his mind was still buzzing from the aftermath of today's event. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep the subject of imprinting out of his conscious.

_Damn it! _He muttered to himself _I choose myself whom I want to love! Don't you see that, Bella? I love you. _

Bells. Just thinking about her made butterflies erupted inside of Jacob's stomach, as much as he hates to admit it. He knew he she would take a special place in his heart ever since the first day they met; a little over 10 years ago where they played mud pies and build sandcastles together.

Jacob shifted on his bed to face the bright moonlight, brows furrowed with agitation. Even though he was certain that Bella was the only girl for him but somehow, Jacob still felt a pinch of uncertainty in his heart. Jared had recently imprinted on a new girl in school, Kim. He didn't want his turn to come, ever but imprinting is anything but a myth now.

* * *

Jacob was woken up by his dad's persistent shouting of his name. He cracked an eye open and saw the green lights on his clock reading 2.15 a.m. _What the hell does Dad wants now?_

"Jacob Ephraim Black, get over here now!" Billy shouted. Jacob's bed squeaked noisily as he pushed himself out of his slumber and trudged towards the living room.

"What?" he grumbled cantankerously but immediately sobered up once he saw Old Quil seated in the room next to Billy.

"Take a seat, Jacob," Billy said while Old Quil stared at him intensely. He carefully placed himself on the sofa and eyed the both of them suspiciously. Old Quil stood up from his seat and began mumbling to himself in their native language.

"Jacob, your father had met up with me to discuss a very important issue," his gruff voice echoed in the small house. As Jacob's eyes locked with Billy's, it finally hit him what their "issue" was and it drove him mad.

"It's about Bella, isn't it? Dad, I thought I told you to drop it," he hissed. Billy's hard eyes didn't falter even a bit; in fact it grew more adamant. "Now, Jacob," Old Quil interrupted, "you have to know the consequences of forming a romantic relationship with someone other than your im—"

"God damn it, I've heard enough already!" Jacob erupted. He shot to his feet, ready to leave the house but with one, hard look from the leader of the Council, Jacob dropped back to the sofa. "Think, Jacob Black. Think of the girl's fate when yours show up. We don't want another Leah in this picture."

Jacob fists clenched and unclenched themselves as he willed Brother Wolf to calm down. "I am **not **Sam, Old Quil. I don't just give in so easily like he did," Jacob rasped as politely as he could muster under his boiling anger.

"We know you don't Jacob," Billy sighed, "we just want you to remember the fact that imprinting has proven its existence. It breaks my heart if I see Bella breaking down like she used to." No names needed to be mentioned to remind Jacob of the days she was still broken by _him. _That thought alone receded his temper.

"That would never happen," he muttered angrily. His eyes glanced restlessly at the old wooden clock hanging on the wall. _Just leave already!_

"So Jacob, we can't stop you from loving Isabella Swan but you must be careful around her," Old Quil warned. Jacob wanted to snort at that but he still had a lot of respect for the Elder. "Thanks, Old Quil," he said in a sarcastic tone which was frowned upon by Billy.

"Well, since you've said all that you wanted, I'll be heading to bed now," Jacob grunted as he heaved himself off of the old sofa. He brushed by his dad and Old Quil without another word spoken and contrary to what he uttered just now, Jacob headed straight to the front door. Billy could only sigh tiredly while watching his only son running out of the house.

* * *

Jacob ran and ran in his wolf form, cherishing the feel of the wind brushing through his fur. He was beyond pissed; yes, they're members of the Council but that doesn't give them the rights to butt in into his relationships! Eventually, his feet took him to the one spot his mind could be at peace at; the Swan's Residence or the explicit, Bella's room.

Jacob effortlessly pulled himself up on a nearby tree branch and crawled his way to her opened window. After successfully landing in her room without a sound, he strode to her bed and carefully lied down beside Bella's sleeping form. Wrapping his arms around her waist gingerly, Jacob rested his head next to Bella's and let her scent engulfed him whole. His eyes slowly fluttered close as he finally found his solace.

And that was the way Bella woke up to. The sudden shift of temperature and her wet camisole that clung to her skin was enough to draw her back to consciousness. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, Bella could make out a blurry outline of none other than Jacob snoring softly next to her. She tore the heavy blanket away and sighed contently as the cold air hit her overheated skin. Jacob gave out a little snort when Bella's hand travelled over his face. He cracked an eye open and shot her a sleepy grin.

"Hey," he croaked, his voice gruff from sleep. Bella smiled back and brushed his black bangs away from his eyes.

"Hey yourself. So is sneaking in my bed at night becoming a habit of yours?" she teased. Jacob chuckled deep in his chest. "You bet. I can't stay away from you for too long. It's like I'm Simon Cowell and you're a terrible singer; I can't help myself from insulting you."

Bella leaned up on her elbows to stare down at Jacob, scandalized. "Okay first thing, that's not even the least bit of romantic and secondly, it doesn't make sense. At all," she laughed. Jacob joined in with a stifled rumble before pulling Bella back down on top of him. "See what you do to me, honey? You make me say stupid things," Jacob whispered jokingly. Bella giggled against his chest.

"Try _all the time_, Jake."

As their playful banter continued with a few smart-ass remarks and an unsuccessful punch, the two drifted off to sleep with smiles on their faces. For Bella, it was because being with Jacob always triggered that sunny effect. For Jacob, however, it was because that little doubt he felt when he left the house was long gone as soon as he saw Bella's smile. Or so he thought.


	8. Chapter 8: Bad News

Days passed, Bella tried her hardest to lead a normal life after the accident, including limping around with crutches under her arms for her ankle was sprained from the accident, but she couldn't stop the emotional trauma that accompanied. Bella had nightmares, a result from Victoria's attack and the car crash, though she had successfully hid her episodes from Jacob. Tonight occurred just the same.

"Night, Dad," Bella wished when Charlie poked his head through the door as one of his nightly rituals. She sighed tiredly as she slipped under the covers and flicked off the nightstand lamp. Her eyes remained open even as her surrounding was pitch black. Victoria's bloodthirsty eyes continued to haunt her subconscious, and it rendered her helpless at times.

Bella's eyes closed on their own accord after a long period of staring up at the ceiling blankly. Though her body was at rest, her mind was having a battle of its own. Bella's eyes rolled back and forth beneath her eyelids, disturbing nightmares plaguing her semi-conscious state.

"_The itsy bitsy human tried to run away again."_

_Bella ran blindly in the dark upon hearing the eerie music. She threw her hands in front of her, groping the air for any sign of a door; an escape. _

"_Down came the leech and killed her dogs away."_

_Tears were streaming freely down her face now and Bella's form quivered in fear. As images of Jacob flashed before her eyes, Bella's legs could no longer support her weight and she collapsed in a heap by the corner._

"_Out came the moon and the bodies are revealed."_

_The dark room was filled with Bella's sobs. She didn't bother muffling her noise anymore as no one would possibly know where she was. As sudden as the darkness came, it was chased away by an abrupt moonlight that filtered through barred windows. Bella dared herself to open her eyes but when she did, a raw scream erupted from her throat. There, down by her feet, was Jacob's bloodied body. His dead eyes stared up at her in a pure horror and blood oozed from his disembodied limbs. _

"_So the itsy bitsy human have nowhere to run again."_

Bell sat up straight in her bed, her mouth fell open in a strangled scream. She panted for breath as if she had just run a marathon. Trembles ran up and down her small frame as fat tears fell from her eyes endlessly. Bella couldn't get the little girl's singing voice and Jacob's body out of her mind.

She continued to rock back and forth on her bed until dawn finally broke and she had to get ready for school. Bella stood on her two legs shakily and stumbled to her bathroom. What she saw in the mirror was not the Bella Swan she knew, this person staring back at her had mousy brown hair that was all tangled up, her pale face stained with tears and red-rimmed eyes now surrounded by dark circles.

Bella groaned and leaned her forehead on the bathroom mirror. She couldn't possibly go to school looking like she was run over by a Hummer, let alone see Jacob. He could read her like an open book and Bella didn't want to burden him anymore with her never ending predicaments. Bella quickly decided to take a long, hot shower and that seemed to do the trick. A little. Dark circles still framed her eyes but her hair was not so bushy anymore and the water had washed away any remnants of last night's tears.

Bella descended the stairs hastily after dressing up in whichever clothes her hands grabbed first. She was shocked to find Charlie had already left without her. "How am I supposed to go to school?" she mused out loud.

"With me, of course." Bella spun around quickly to the mundane husky voice to find none other than Jacob Black perching on the arm of her sofa. "How did you—you know, I'm not even going to ask anymore," Bella sputtered. Jacob laughed out loud. His mouth bobbed open with a sly comeback but he stopped abruptly when his eyes finally took in Bella's real state.

"Bells, did something happen?" he asked suspiciously, striding towards her in a few steps. "No," Bella lied automatically, "why would you say that?" Jacob's eyes narrowed upon hearing her words. He tried to peer into her eyes but Bella hurriedly ducked her head from his stare.

"Bella—" Jacob warned but she immediately grabbed one of his large hands in hers and tried to drag him the best she could with a brace on her ankle. "Come on, Jake," she urged, "I'm going to be late for school!"

Jacob decided to comply with her request when he saw how desperate Bella was to avoid the subject. _Just this one time _he reassured himself. He allowed Bella to pull him towards the Rabbit and once they arrived at the door, she released her death grip on his hand and rounded the car to enter through the passenger door.

The drive to her school was silent; Jacob kept stealing glances at Bella though she insisted on keeping her head down or at the window all the time. Bella, however, was busy reflecting the nightmare she had just experienced. Last night's was the worst of the whole week; she had never felt such an intense fear before. Not even when James tried to bite her.

Soon though, the Rabbit rolled to a stop in front of Fork's High. As usual, Bella leaned over the console to give Jacob a chaste kiss but before she could, he captured her shoulders in his large hands. "Bells," he whispered seriously, "you know you don't have to hide anything from me, don't you?" Bella tried to avert his gaze but his smoldering eyes were like traps, refusing to let her go.

"I—I know," she choked out. Jacob relaxed his grip and palmed her cheeks, lowering his lips onto hers. Bella felt her wall crumble a bit. She wanted nothing more than to spill everything out to Jacob, to have him hold her tight in his arms and chase away the ghosts of her dreams but she was more than that. Bella refused to be a damsel in distress any longer.

Jacob released her lips with an exaggerated smack and peered down at her. His mouth unconsciously pulled up to a grin, seeing her blushing cheeks. "I'm going now," Bella stated a little bit slurry. Jacob chuckled, opening the door for her. "I'll wait for you after school," he murmured, planting another kiss on her cheek.

Bella climbed through the door and waved gently as Jacob drove off. She exhaled wearily as she received curious stares from the student body. As usual, Bella put her game face on and went through the day as if nothing happened. Wish the same thing could be said about Jacob, though.

* * *

Jacob chose to skip school today on the drive home. Even know he had made up his mind to let whatever Bella's problem was, go but it still bugged his mind endlessly. He shook his head back and forth, making his black hair bobbed around his shoulders. "No, Bella's fine. If she doesn't want to tell me, then it's fine," Jacob muttered to himself as he drove the Rabbit up the driveway.

Jacob was walking to the front door when he saw Embry and Quil sitting at the steps of his porch. A frown immediately descended upon his brows. "What do you two want?" questioned Jacob warily. He had expected Quil and Embry to reply with witty remarks or about Bella, but their face promptly turned serious and shot up to their feet.

"Jacob, we have a pack meeting now," Embry stated. Jacob nodded curtly and followed his two friends into the forest where they walked until the usual clearing came into view. The rest of the pack was already there, muttering under their breaths furiously about something Jacob was dying to know. Once Sam spotted Jacob, he cleared his throat loudly and all whispers stopped abruptly. Although suspicious, Jacob took a seat on a fallen log nonetheless.

"Settle down, guys," Sam ordered, "we're beginning our meeting now." Sam continued again when everyone had taken a seat either on dead logs or on the grass.

"There's a very important reason why I call you out here today," he spoke in a hush yet stern voice, "we have new additions to our pack."

Shock murmurs ruptured through the silent rapidly. Jacob's fists tightened their grip until his nails were digging into his palms. "Who is it?" Seth inquired. Sam hesitated for a moment before answering. "Colin and Brady."

"What?!" Jacob shouted, springing up to his feet, "they're only 13, for fuck's sake! How can this happen?"

"Sit down, Jacob. I'll explain to you," Sam sighed. Under his Alpha's orders, Jacob had to shut his mouth and collapsed heavily on the log. "The Elders think that perhaps Colin and Brady phased too young because of the presence of vampires around our land."

"Mother-f**king leech," hissed Paul. Sam continued, ignoring his annotation.

"Another bad news for us; the red-headed vampire is back. Jared and Seth picked up her faint scent early this morning while patrolling."

Jacob crushed the log beneath his hands as fury overtook him. "I'll make her wish she never even thought of stepping a filthy foot in our land," he spat venomously. The others grunted in agreement, exasperated that this one vampire would go to any length just to harm a defenseless human. "Not so fast, Jacob," Sam interrupted, "this time, the leech brought friends with her and I'm not talking about two or three."

"Yeah," Seth spoke up, a little bit shakily, "Jared and I smelled dozens of different scents, together with the old leech."

Jacob gritted his teeth upon hearing the new struggle. "We almost killed that filthy bloodsucker the other day, we can do it again this time," barked Paul. For what seems like the hundredth time, Sam sighed tiredly from the middle of clearing. "We need all the help we can so we have no choice but to seek the Cullen's."

"No!" Jacob immediately shouted. "There are ten of us. We can easily take down the leech's colony with our freaking eyes closed!" he protested strongly.

"There are plenty of risks, Jacob and we can't afford to lose even a member now," Sam fought back, "we're talking about Bella's life here."

A loud snort resounded in the middle of their conversation. Jacob turned around to glare at none other than Leah. "Don't you start again," he warned. Leah rolled her eyes at his threat but kept her mouth shut nonetheless.

"Think about this, Jacob," Sam said before resuming his talk. Jacob drowned out the voices and concentrated instead at the feeling of uneasiness at the pit of his stomach. He never wanted to see any of the Cullens' pale faces again, especially _him_, but Bella's life was at stake now. He had no other choice but to face his looming fears.

After a briefing about their patrol shifts, the pack finally ended their meeting. Jacob begrudgingly began his walk away from the forest but what was initially an alone walk became a threesome when Embry and Quil caught up to him. Jacob didn't even bother restraining his groan.

"Dude, lighten up," Quil said, "Your girl won't suddenly run to Gedward once he comes back." Jacob frowned at his so-called friend.

"First of all, what the hell is Gedward? And second, I know _that_," Jacob retorted back.

"It's gay plus Edward, duh!" interrupted Embry, "and no girl would be stupid enough to run away once she gets a taste of the Quilette men's loving!"

The two boys barked in laughter but Jacob remained glum, his cheeks showing hints of red underneath them. Quil's and Embry's laughter died down as realization dawned upon them. They stared at each other with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

"Dude, you two never did it?" Quil asked in surprised. "Boy, based on all the kissing and groping between you two in _public, _people would suspect otherwise," Embry added.

"Shut up, assholes," Jacob grunted, "I'm horny, not suicidal."

"Right, right, 'cause you're dating the Chief Of Police's daughter," laughed Quil. As Jacob's red house came into view, he quickly shooed away his pestering friends to catch a little shut eye before picking up Bella.

Jacob landed heavily on his small bed, making the springs squeak in protest. He drifted off to dreamland as soon as his head hit the pillow, leaving behind all the previous troubles and worries.

* * *

Bella rushed from her class as soon as the bell rang. She didn't know why but she really missed Jacob's presence and couldn't wait to be held in his arms again. Bella's eyes scanned the parking lot the moment she exited the school building but Jacob's red Rabbit was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe he's just running late," Bella muddled under her breath. She took a seat on nearby bench but immediately regretted her actions as the frozen bench seeped coldness into her bottom.

"Hey, Arizona!" Bella whipped her head around to stare at Mike waving furiously at her direction. "Where's your ride?" he yelled from his black Suburban, packed with the rest of his gang.

"He's not here yet, I guess," Bella bellowed back. "Wanna hitch a ride with us? It's free," Mike offered, his tone quickly changing into flirtatious.

"No thanks, my ride's arriving in a couple of minutes," she lied discreetly. Fortunately, Mike decided not to push things too far today and drove off with loud music blasting from his car. Bella sighed, wrapping her coat even tighter around her body.

The crowd of students gathering at the school's compound was becoming less and less, until there were less than 20 people around with Bella. Agitated and cold from the waiting, Bella pulled out her cell phone from the pocket of her coat and dialed the Black's residence. After the tenth—or was it twentieth?—dial, Bella hung up with great frustration.

"Where the hell are you, Jacob Black?" she muttered angrily. To relieve her numb bottom, Bella got up to her feet and started walking down the side walk slowly. "Well, at least things couldn't get any worse than this," came a sarcastic reply from her mouth.

As if sensing her dismay and laughing at it, Mother Nature suddenly decided to add more to her quagmire; rain. Bella cursed loudly when the first few drops of rain pelted on her hair. She pulled up the hood of her coat and began running down the direction of her house, which was about 20 blocks away.

Bella's clothes were soaked to her bones and her teeth were chattering from the icy rain. Just as she was beginning to fear that she could die from hypothermia, a loud honk blared from behind. Through squinted eyes, Bella inspected a little red car screeching to halt next to her trembling form; it's headlights plus the rain almost blinding her line of sight completely.

"Bella, come on! Do you want to freeze to death?" hollered a familiar gruff voice from a rolled down window. Once her brain started functioning again despite the numbing cold, Bella swiftly rounded the car and tugged the door open. Her hands kept slipping on the metal handle, causing Bella to groan loudly in frustration as rain continues to beat heavily down on her. Jacob leaned across the panel and pushed the door open for her.

Bella climbed into the safe confinement of Jake's car as fast as lightning. Instead of driving off from the side, Jacob stared at Bella full of shame. "I'm so sorry; I overslept!" he apologized bashfully. Bella chose to glare at him in reply, her body still quivering with cold.

"Take off your coat, Bells. Your lips are turning blue," he continued, still in the shameful tone. Bella followed his advice though and peeled her soaking coat from her body. As soon as the fabric hit the car floor with an audible splat, Bella launched herself onto Jacob's awaiting arms. Goosebumps rose on her skin when his hot warmth seeped into her like an electric blanket.

"I—If you we—weren't s—so warm, I'd be pi—pissed as h—hell right now," Bella stuttered against her chattering teeth. Jacob tightened his grip on her and ran his hands up and down her back to produce some friction. It didn't seem to work though seeing as Bella was still in her drenched shirt and jeans. Thinking quickly, Jacob pulled the shirt of his back and slipped it on Bella.

"You wear this first while I get you home," Jacob voiced, speeding away from the curb. Bella gladly tucked the oversized shirt around her body and greedily accepted its lingering warmth. Jacob drove like a mad man, afraid that Bella might catch a pneumonia or even hypothermia because of him.

In a record time of 10 minutes, the Rabbit skidded to a stop against the wet tar in front of the Swan's residence. With his lightning speed, Jacob ran from his seat to grab Bella and sprinted to the front door, successfully avoiding as little rain as possible. Bella's trembling hands fished for the keys in her backpack and unlocked the door.

As soon as Jacob's feet touched the carpeted floor, he swiped Bella into his arms, earning him a surprised squeal and ran upstairs towards her bedroom. "Jake, I can walk!" she protested weakly, Jacob's body warmth was too comforting to deny.

Jacob set Bella back down on her feet and looked around her room sheepishly. "Um, you can go and um, change now," he mumbled before leaving her alone. Once the door was closed, Bella striped out of her drenched clothing with much effort on her jeans and dropped them on the floor along with her undergarments. She wrapped a towel around her body and stepped into the toilet, ready to warm herself up with a hot bath. Although, nothing can compare to Jacob's natural warmth.

Jacob paced agitatedly downstairs. His ears caught the sound of water running and instantly knew Bella was taking a bath. He collapsed heavily on the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I am so stupid!" he ranted angrily. Jacob wouldn't be too surprised if Bella doesn't even want to look at him anymore; he had forgotten her of all the idiotic things he could do! Quil and Embry would laugh their asses off when they see today's event through his mind.

Speaking of the two idiots, today's pack meeting sprang into his mind. Jacob wasn't sure if he was supposed to tell Bella about the leech's return or just keep quiet about it. He decided to ask Sam about this later tonight.

The sound of a knob squeaking and padded feet down the hall brought Jacob back to the present. He could see Bella scurrying back into her room with only a flimsy towel wrapped around her little body, showing off lots of skin--_no, Jacob, stop! Now's not the time to think about those stuffs! _

When Bella's bare feet sauntered down the stairs, Jacob immediately got up from his slouching position and greeted her at the last step. "I'm so sorry, honey," he apologized remorsefully. Bella smiled softly at him. "It's okay, Jake. It wasn't that big of a deal."

"It is, Bella!" Jacob argued back, "You're my girlfriend and my mate. I was born to protect you but l did a hell of a job today apparently!"

He started pacing back and forth in the living room, forcing Bella to launch herself into his arms in order to calm his nerves down. "Jacob Black, I'm _fine," _she reassured soothingly, "I'm not some fragile china doll that you have to take care of 24 hours a day. I can do that myself."

Slowly, Jacob lowered them both on the couch and twisted their position around so she was no perching on his lap. He nodded mutely before receiving a hug from Bella. "Boy, you're so uptight lately, Jake. You'd burst a vein if I suddenly told you I was pregnant," she whispered in his ears teasingly. Jacob, however, took this a little bit too literal.

"What?!" he shouted, his brown eyes round like saucers. Bella couldn't help but laugh at his expression and Jacob finally relaxed once he knew she was merely kidding. "I'm joking, Jake, sheesh!"

His arms wound themselves tightly around her even more as they both laugh at his silliness. "Well," Jacob spoke up, "if you were pregnant, I would consider you cheating on me or I blew my load too early since we've never gotten past third base."

Bella laughed again, smacking him on the chest in the process. Jacob smiled along with, a feeling of proud surged up in him upon hearing her laughter. His eyes wandered to the wall clock above the television and decided it was time for him to go and meet Sam.

Jacob hopped into his car and drove away after bidding Bella goodbye. He wondered what her reaction would be when he told her that the leech has returned. Jacob certainly wasn't looking forward to finding that out, as Bella would surely have another panic attack.

Little did he know, that he was about to find another thing he was curious about. Bella's little 'secret'.


End file.
